F E B R U A R Y 1 8 t h , 2 0 1 6
"Of course it's worth it," I tell my best friend, Nigel, who is curiously peeking into the pet shop's tank of goldfish.
"Idiot, you look through the glass, not from the top. Nobody looks at fish from a freaking aerial view," I tell him again when he doesn't flinch from my voice the first time.
"Nigel!" I say, louder this time, which gains the attention of the two female store employees.
"Damn, chill out. I was having a heart to heart with that one little guy stuck to the filter," Nigel finally says as he takes his attention away from the fish tank.
"Listen, I don't give a crap about your half dead fish. It's worth it, okay?" I tell Nigel, for the last time, once he's facing me and exerting all of his attention.
"Okay, you're right. A fish is easy," Nigel recites to me for the sixth time, "and a good pet," he adds like it's the selling point.
The thing with Nigel, is that he's really indecisive. For as long as I can remember, he couldn't make decisions without the help of me or the volunteers at the orphanage. I'm so lucky to have him as a best friend because everything eventually goes my way.
"God damn, Nigel," I mutter to myself as my best friend begins looking at this fish again from the top of the tank, "you've been debating this for like a month. Just get the fish. Get it!"
One of the store employees is now standing next to me. She appears to be around my age with thick, dark hair in two dutch braids. Her name tag, which says Jackie, is slightly crooked and I'd fix it for her if it wasn't resting over her left breast.
"Is your friend alright?" She asks me in a very polite tone.
"Oh, yeah, he's just really indecisive," I tell the employee named Jackie. She gives me a funny look before exerting her attention back to Nigel.
"Okay, well let me know when you're ready to pick one out," she says before walking back to the cash registers. I hear her whisper something to the other employee, but I'm too busy babysitting Nigel to turn around.
"Come on, man," I say with a whine to my voice. The silver watch on my left wrist tells me it's almost noon and we've been here for a half an hour over a fish.
"Okay, I want that one!" Nigel tells me as he tries to point through the glass while looking over the tank. I can hear one of the employee's footsteps behind me as I try to figure out what fish Nigel is even pointing to. I step away and she grabs the net, getting ready to swoop into the water.
"It's that one," Nigel tells her while still pointing.
Jackie flashes me a small grin while I watch and I return the gesture just to be nice. I can tell she thinks Nigel is the most ridiculous person on this planet, and she's not wrong.
After getting the fish in its bag of water, Nigel turns to look at me with the biggest grin ever.
Back at the foster group home, we weren't allowed to have any pets to call our own. It didn't necessarily bother me, but it obviously bothered Nigel. Now that we live with our best friend from high school, (may I also add that she's three years older) we can do whatever we want to.
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Eliott Price Should be Dead
General Fiction[boyxboy] [#42 in general fiction] Eliott is alive. He's navigated through foster families, group homes, and no home. Through it all, Nigel has been by his side. Now that high school is over and they've found a place - a real home - to live with t...
